Christmas Wishes
by MyMessyLittleRaindrops
Summary: During the Christmas of his fourth year, Harry finally gets the wish he's wanted for almost all of his life: he gets his parents back. AU.
1. Godfather

**Disclaimer: All characters and plots from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling**

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**A/N: So this story is based during December of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts. T****his is an AU story - e**verything i**s explained in the story except that there will be no Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts (But don't worry, there'll be plenty of other drama to make up for it!) :-)****  
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**Christmas Wishes**

**Godfather:**

Sirius Black, who was sat dozing in a chair in the kitchen of Number 10 Grimmauld Place, jumped as he heard the doorbell ring. Cursing himself for falling asleep, he heaved his body out of the rickety chair and trudged down the darkened hallway to answer the door. A gust of cold, winter night air blew into the house as the door opened to reveal a man with sandy blond hair, wrapped up in a woolen scarf, perched on the doorstep.

'Moony! You startled me, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow', Sirius greeted his best friend, opening the door wider to allow Remus over the threshold.

'Sorry Padfoot', was Remus' reply as he made his way into the house. 'Though I suspect you fell asleep?' Remus said, a knowing look in his eye.

'Hey! Don't judge me, it's been a long day', Sirius replied as the two men walked into the kitchen and sat down on opposite sides of the long table.

'Ah yes', Remus said, 'And how has Harry settled in?'

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_2 days earlier:_

_'BOY! GET THAT DOOR NOW, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING WASTE OF SPACE! IT'S BAD ENOUGH YOU'RE HERE AT CHRISTMAS, NOW YOU CAN'T EVEN ANSWER THE RUDDY DOOR!' was the roar that could be heard as Vernon Dursley sat in front of the fire in the very pink living room which was festively decorated with tinsel and baubals,, a tub of chocolates on his lap._

_Harry was used to being summoned like this, after all, this was how his aunt and uncle had been treating him for the past 13 years, especially since he had started at Hogwarts. But Harry did agree with his uncle in one aspect; the fourteen year old had been extremely dismayed to find out he had to return to number four Privet Drive for the Christmas holidays. Hogwarts had been evacuated over December because one of the Slytherin students had placed a deadly and life-threatening curse on the doors to the Great Hall, meaning any student who entered there would face almost certain death, so the school had had no choice but to send their pupils back home for a month. With the Weasleys visiting Charlie in Romania and Hermione spending some time with her parents, Harry had had no other choice but to return the house he despised throughout December._

_ Tearing himself away from the Quidditch book he had been reading, Harry headed across the landing, tiptoeing past his cousin Dudley's room so Dudley wouldn't come out and terrorise him, and down the stairs to answer the door. Expecting it to be one of Dudley's friends wanting to know if Dudley wanted to come out for a snowball fight (no doubt Harry being the preferred target), Harry was incredibly shocked to find his headmaster standing on the doorstep, smiling at him, his blue eyes twinkling._

_'P-Professor Dumbledore, what are you doing here?', Harry stuttered. 'Has Hogwarts been reopened?', he asked hopefully._

_'Unfortunately not. The school is still under the care of the Department for Dangerous Curses', Dumbledore replied, sighing._

_'Oh', Harry said, he head drooping slightly._

_The sound of his uncle's bellow from inside the house shocked Harry out of his thoughts._

_'WHO'S AT THE DOOR BOY?'._

_'Um...just someone trying to sell us something', Harry called back._

_'Well I hope you told them they can bugger off, we don't need anything!', was Vernon's muffled reply, his mouth full of chocolates._

_'Of course Uncle Vernon', Harry said, rolling his eyes._

_'Ah, your uncle is as pleasant as ever I see', Dumbledore said cheerily with such an innocent expression on his face that Harry had to stifle a laugh._

_'Now Harry, Hogwarts may not be reopened, but I do have some news that I think will please you even more', Dumbledore said mysteriously._

_Harry was confused; "what could be better than leaving his aunt and uncle and going back to Hogwarts?"_

_'Come for a walk with me Harry', the bearded professor said, gesturing for Harry to follow him._

_'I'm going out!', Harry called into the house, slamming the door shut before he could even hear his uncle's reply. Shivering as he stepped out into the biting cold wind, Harry rubbed his hands together in an attempt to keep warm, wishing he at least had a pair of gloves he could wear._

_'Don't worry Harry, we'll be in the warm in a minute', Dumbledore said, suddenly stopping in the middle of the street. 'Take my arm Harry', he told the shivering teenager. _

_As soon as Harry had grasped the crook of his headmaster's arm, he felt like he had been pulled into a whirlwind; his head was spinning and his feet were no longer touching solid ground, but not for long. Just seconds later, Harry's feet landed on a soft, carpeted floor. It wasn't until a few moments later that Harry realised he was clutching onto Professor Dumbledore's arm to keep himself balanced, and let go immediately, blushing slightly red with embaressment._

_ Looking around, Harry instantly knew he was no longer on Privet Drive. He was stood in the doorway of a dark room in which there was a bar and several sets of table and chairs, all laid out for supper. But this was no ordinary cafe. Flying over his head were dirty dishes and cutlery and behind the bar, Harry saw the scrubbing brush washing various pots and pans by itself: The Leaky Cauldron._

_'Professor Dumbledore, what are we doing here?', Harry asked, sounding confused, looking around to try and take in all the magic that was in front of him._

_'I am guessing the first few days of your Christmas Holidays have not been very pleasant, my dear boy?', Dumbledore asked gently._

_'Unless you count having to spend almost every waking minute as a snowball target, then no', Harry said bitterly._

_'I guessed that might be the case, so I thought I ought to give you a bit of an early Christmas present', Dumbledore declared, winking at Harry. 'Oh Tom, I just thought I'd let you know, Harry Potter has arrived. I trust you have already had his luggage delivered to his room?'_

_'Of course Mr Dumbledore, Mr Potter's belongings are upstairs waiting for him', a short, bald man told Dumbledore, bowing as he said so._

_Harry jumped at Tom, the housekeeper's, reply, having not yet noticed his presence in the dark room. More confused than ever, he followed his headmaster up the rickety stairs, knowing from past experiences to not ask any questions and just wait for the answers. The two proceeded along the candlelit corrider to a room numbered '34' at the very end of the hall._

_'After you', Dumbledore said, his eyes still twinkling, as he pushed open the door._

_'Sirius!', Harry exclaimed, shocked to find his godfather standing in the middle of the room, beaming. Sirius quickly walked over to Harry and pulled his godson into a tight hug. Sirius was in a lot better condition than when Harry had last seen him; 6 months ago, Sirius had been clothed in rags with gaunt, yellowing skin and dull eyes, but now he was no longer worringly thin and his eyes had a newly found sparkle._

_'W-What are you doing here? Has something happened? What's going on?', Harry asked, pulling out of Sirius' hug and looking from his headmaster to his godfather._

_'I'll let you tell young Mr Potter here the good news, whilst I go and get myself a butterbeer downstairs' Dumbledore announced, smiling at the pair before leaving the room and quietly closing te door behind him._

_'Sirius what's going on?', Harry asked turning to his godfather, becoming slightly impatient to find out what everyone was hiding from him._

_'I'm free!'_

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**A/N: So that's chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed it and found it was long enough :-) I'm aiming to make most of the chapters this length, though sometimes I end up writing quite a bit so there may be some longer ones too :D I'm trying to make this story as realistic as possible - I firstly wanted to give the story a bit of an introduction and so the first two chapters will be looking at Harry and Sirius' relationship and then in Chapter 3 will be the beginning of James and Lily's return. Apart from James/Lily, I don't have any other pairings planned but that doesn't mean there won't be any in the future :-) I'd love to know your thoughts on the chapter and any improvements I could make/bits you liked, so please REVIEW! Thank-you so much for reading, **

**MyMessyLittleRaindrops**

**P.S: I'm going to try to update as regularly as I can :D**


	2. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: All characters and plots from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling**

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**A/N: This is just a quick reply to the guest reviewer, Minea: I just wanted to thank-you for your review :-) I didn't want to jump straight into the main plot because I thought the story would be more interesting this way :-) Thank-you again, MyMessyLittleRaindrops**

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**Nightmares:**

_'W-what?', Harry asked, looking startled._

_'Dumbledore pulled some strings at the Ministry and told them his spies had found out I was dead', Sirius began, beckoning for Harry to sit down next to him on the small sofa. 'I'll still have to be a bit careful, but I hardly look like I do in the pictures the Daily Prophet printed, so that shouldn't be too bad, and at least the Dementors aren't still hunting for me!', Sirius exclaimed, looking happier than Harry had ever seen him._

_'That's great Sirius! And Fudge actually fell for it?', Harry asked, an astounded expression on his face._

_'Yep! He may act like he's a big tough guy, but he still knows Dumbledore has connections so he listens to him', Sirius informed Harry._

_'So, where are you going to live?', Harry enquired, noticing an unpacked suitcase in the corner of the hotel room._

_'My parents house. They don't live there any more obviously, and why waste my gold on property when I already have one? That's the other part of the good news', Sirius said, beaming. 'Seeing as I'm now a free man and your legal guardian, Dumbledore's said you can come and live with me!...Well, that's if you want to of course', Sirius added._

_Harry just sat there, mouth slightly open in shock, too happy to speak._

_'Harry...is that a yes?', Sirius asked gently, unsure of what to make of his godson's reaction._

_'Are you kidding me Sirius? Of course it's a yes!', Harry exclaimed, facing his godfather with the biggest smile on his face._

_'Brilliant! Brilliant!', Sirius cried standing up and pulling Harry into a hug._

_Just as the two were seperating, the door slowely opened to reveal Professor Dumbledore, beaming in the doorway._

_'So I'm taking it Harry you have agreed to Sirius' proposition?', he asked, holding a half-drunk mug of butterbeer in his hand._

_Harry nodded enthusiastically to which Dumbledore replied, 'Excellent! Well, I understand the plan is for the two of you to stay here tonight and Harry, you can transfer your belongings to Sirius' house tomorrow morning'._

_'That sounds great Professor', said Harry, still smiling._

_'Well Harry, I believe your room is just across the Hall. Seeing as you two don't need me any more, I shall go back to my knitting, but you can of course Owl me if you need me', Dumbledore informed them, his blue eyes twinkling in the candlelight._

_Just as Dumbledore was leaving the room, Harry called,_

_'Professor Dumbledore...thank-you'._

_Dumbledore just winked at Harry, before heading back along the hallway._

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'And this is your room. I thought you might appreciate the decorations, that was the kind of thing I liked when I was your age', Sirius announced, opening the door to a large room; it had been decorated with various Gryffindor posters hanging on the blue walls, there was a desk in the corner of the room with a chair tucked under it, a medium-sized wardrobe and a four-poster bed in the centre.

'We can of course change things around if you want', Sirius added quickly.

Harry just looked around in amazement; yes, the Dursleys had given him a bedroom eventually, but this room was so much bigger that Harry couldn't quite get over the fact that the space was all his.

'It's great!', Harry exclaimed, still looking around at all the various things in the room.

'Well it beats a cupboard, I suppose', Sirius said shrugging.

'How do you know about that?', Harry asked, turning around sharply.

'Dumbledore may have informed me of a few things that happened to you whilst you were staying at that Muggle household. Actually, he had to stop me from going and doing them severe damage', Sirius said in a bitter tone.

'Don't bother Sirius, they're not worth it, trust me', Harry muttered.

Sirius half-smiled at his godson, before clapping his hands together and saying brightly,

'Right! Well, I'll leave you to unpack your things. I'll be downstairs making dinner if you need me', he told Harry, smiling one more time at his godson before heading down the stairs into the kitchen.

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He couldn't quite make out the face under the cloak, but Harry knew who it was by the chilling feeling that he felt down his spine. He was in a graveyard, but he wasn't quite sure where. It was cold, though there was no wind. Looking around he saw the rat, tying him to the piece of stone with bonds that were almost cutting off his blood supply. Harry felt such burning hatred towards the creature that he almost didn't notice that the hooded figure was now moving, closer towards him. Harry's scar was searing with pain..."he's coming closer", he thought...'SOMEBODY HELP ME! MUM, DAD, HELP ME...DAD PLEASE...HELP...MUM...AAAAGGGHHH!'

'Harry! Harry, wake up!', Sirius said urgently, shaking Harry, who was thrashing around on his bed, his skin covered with a layer of sweat. Harry suddenly bolted upright, his breathing quick and erratic. Looking around and seeing Sirius' figure sitting next to him, a look of serious concern on his slightly pale face, he realised where he was and that he had just been dreaming.

Sirius handed Harry his glasses from the little table next to the bed; Dumbledore had warned him that Harry had been having nightmares recently, but Sirius had not realised how much these dreams had been affecting his godson until he heard Harry calling out for his parents.

'Are you alright?', Sirius asked gently, putting his arm on Harry's shoulder as a means of comforting him.

Harry nodded, before taking a deep breath and saying in a shaky voice, 'Yeah, I'm fine thanks Sirius. It was just a dream'.

'It sounded more like a nightmare', Sirius said, looking even more concerned at Harry's quick reflex to try and pretend like he was okay.

'You could say that', Harry croaked, his voice still sounding broken.

There was a moment of silence before Sirius whispered,

'You were calling out for your parents, you know, asking them to help you'. Sirius' voice sounded pained at the thought of his old best friend.

Harry's head jerked around when Sirius said this, clearly unaware he had been shouting in his slumber. At first, it looked like he might try to argue with Sirius, as if to say Sirius was lying, before his defences broke down and his face crumpled in pain.

'Voldemort was going to kill me. We were...we were in a graveyard, Wormtail was there too-'

'Wormtail?!', Sirius said sharply, his eyes narrowing with anger and disgust at the thought of his old friend.

'Yeah', Harry croaked, 'He..Voldemort..was getting closer and closer, my scar was burning...I was calling out to Mum and Dad to try and help me', Harry sighed, looking down so that Sirius couldn't see the tears that Harry felt forming in his eyes.

'Have you been dreaming about your parents a lot?', Sirius said quietly with a soft voice.

Harry just nodded.

Sirius sighed; clearly both he and Dumbledore had underestimated just how powerful a effect Harry's dreams were having on him. And he felt helpless - it killed Sirius inside to think that he godson was in pain and there wasn't really anything he, or anyone else, could do. Except-

'I'll be back in a second!', Sirius said, suddenly jumping up from the bed and hurrying from the room, leaving a perplexed Harry.

Within moments Sirius returned with a small vial of a cream coloured liquid.

'Here. This is what me and your dad used to have whenever we'd been hexed and were finding it difficult to sleep. It's some of Madam Pomfrey's finest sleeping potion, not too much though, so you won't be out for too long, mixed in with some butterbeer - I thought that might help to ease the nightmares', Sirius explained, handing Harry the vial.

'Thanks Sirius', Harry said, turning to face his godfather, clearly extremely grateful to him.

Harry peered at the liquid for a few moments, before pulling out the cork and downing it in one. It didn't taste too bad, in fact, the butterbeer gave it a sweet tinge. Seconds after the liquid passed down his throat, Harry instantly felt his eyes drooping and a wave of tiredness swept over him.

Seeing this, Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulder reassuringly, before standing up and saying,

'Hopefully you'll be able to sleep better now. But if you have another nightmare, you know where to find me'.

Harry just nodded, crawling back under the covers, yawning.

'Night Harry'.

'Night Sirius'.

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**A/N: So there's chapter 2! I hope you liked it and felt it was long enough :-) I plan to at least get the main plot of this story finished before Christmas :D I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Sirius/Harry scene at the end because I've never written anything like that before and I'd be grateful if you could let me know what you liked/how I could have improved it, so I can make similar scenes in the future better :-) In the next chapter, how James and Lily will return will begin to unfold :-) Until then, thank-you so so much to everyone who favourited/followed/reviewed chapter 1, it means so much to me! Please review this chapter, as I'd love to know your thoughts on the story so far! **

**MyMessyLittleRaindrops**


	3. Destruction

******Disclaimer: All characters and plots from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling**

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**A/N: This is just a reply to Minea's review for Chapter 2: Thank-you so much for your review. I'm going to try not to make the story too rushed, as I think it has a better effect is the suspense is built up :-).**

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**Destruction:**

The stag slowly streched its limbs, as if it hadn't moved for a very long time. It should have stood up on its four legs. But no, as quickly as a flash of lightning, the stag changed into a man. He was tall, with scruffy black hair, which stuck up at the back, and round glasses.

James Potter adjusted his spectacles, which had become wonky in his streching, a confused expression of his face; it wasn't usually that hard to transform back from Prongs to his usual self, he thought. Because of his pondering over this, it took him a few moments to notice his surroundings. The expression of confusion quickly turned into one of horror as James looked around at what used to be his home, but was now a pile of rubble. The cottage he and his family had lived in was only half standing - the roof had been blown off and the door kicked in so you could still see the basic outline of the stairs inside. Piles of dust and stone surrounded James and he noticed how filthy the clothing he was wearing was.

James tried to think back to the last thing he could remember, in an attempt to explain this destruction in his mind; he had been playing with Harry when Lily had come in to take their son up to bed. Then he remembered...Voldemort. The memory caused a moment of paralysis for James in which his breath caught in his throat and he couldn't seem to move his limbs. But then his instincts kicked in and he ran. He ran through the piles of rubble, losing his balance but still racing towards Godric's Hollow. When he realised that it was his son's nursery which had the roof blown off it, a cry emerged from James, one that was so full of pain and fear that it could have turned the happiest person into an emotional wreck,

'HARRY!'

Reaching his baby's nursery, James fell to the floor when he took in what was in front of him. Harry's crib was overturned, the handlebars broken and smashed. The wardrobe had fallen to the floor, the clothes spilled out onto the floor which were now covered in dust. James knew what this meant. It meant his son and his wife had been in this room when Voldemort had found them. It meant his son and his wife, the two most precious people in the world to him, were dead. It meant one of his best friends had betrayed him, a man he had trusted not only with his own life, but with that of Lily and Harry's too. Sobs racked James' whole body as he reached for the photograph, whose frame had smashed, of he, Lily and Harry.

'How...how could you do that Wormtail...YOU COWARD! WE TRUSTED YOU! And now look at what you've done...dead...they're dead Wormtail...Oh Harry, oh my sweet baby boy, I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry Harry...I can't believe this has happened, not to you, not to my baby...', James sobbed, tears flooding down his cheeks as he mourned his son.

James could still remember the day his son was born. The first time he'd held Harry in his arms he'd cried. Tears of happiness had fallen slowly down his face as he'd rocked his son to and fro. James had thought he'd known perfection when he'd married Lily, but he realised that it came nowhere near when he held Harry. Nothing could quite match the feeling of happiness and joy as he felt the warmth of his son snuggled up against him, as he could feel his son's heart beating in his chest, as he listened to Harry's slow, deep breathing as he slept.

Harry was perfect. James had known that as soon as he has first locked his brown eyes on his son's green ones, so like his mothers. Harry had been grizzling slightly but as soon as he had been placed in his father's arms, this stopped. Harry had looked up at his father for a moment, before his eyelids drooped and he slowly fell into the realms of sleep. In that moment, it didn't matter to James that there was a war on, or that someone amongst his circle of friends was a spy. All that mattered was his beautiful baby boy.

James had never felt love so strong, so pure. It radiated from him as he slowly bent down to kiss his son's forehead. And from them, James knew that he was never going to let any harm come to his son. He was going to protect Harry until the day he died. He swore to himself and Harry that was going to fight tooth and nail to make sure no-one would ever, ever be able to harm his baby. Because Harry was his son and the most important person in the world to him.

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The red-haired woman stirred from her place of rest. Her neck was stiff, like she'd slept on it awkwardly and her limbs felt like she hadn't moved them for months. She was about to go back into her deep slumber when she heard it. Crying. Someone was crying.

In that moment, Lily snapped her eyes open and immediately sat up, despite the pain it caused her. Everything suddenly came flooding back. Running upstairs, Harry clutched in her arms. Hearing her husband fall to the floor, after being hit by the killing curse. Voldemort. Begging for mercy, that the dark wizard would take her life instead of her son's. But if she was alive, then that meant...

'Harry', Lily whispered, tears beginning to form in her eyes, blurring her vision. A hundred pictures flashed through her mind. Harry. Dead. A baby's corpse. Her husband's corpse. Lily was on the verge of a breakdown when her rational side kicked in.

'No', she told herself. 'Someone's crying. It might be Harry. I won't believe it, he can't be dead. If James isn't here, then I need to look after Harry'.

But looking around and seeing what she had been lying on made Lily begin to doubt this. The rubble and the ruins of Godric's Hollow didn't suggest that anyone had survived such an attack, let alone a one-year-old baby. But Lily could still hear it, the crying. And she knew that whoever it was needed her help. 'Besides', Lily thought, 'They may be able to tell me something about Harry'.

Lily picked herself up and headed around to the front of the cottage. Climbing her way through what used to be the front door, the sobbing became louder. Lily could tell whoever it was was also saying something, but the sound was too muffled for Lily to distinguish words. Quietly, she crept up the now battered staircase and headed towards her son's nursery, a sudden wave of sickness rising from her stomach as she prepared herself for what she would find.

But instead of finding a baby's corpse, Lily saw him. James. For that one moment, she forgot everything else and just rejoiced that her husband was still alive. Relief filled through her, confusion at how he could be alive hadn't even reached Lily's mind yet, making her knees become weak and she began to fall to the floor in front of the doorway of the room. Lily was just about to run forward and embrace her husband, when she finally heard what he was saying and it filled her with horror.

They'd been betrayed by Wormtail. These were the consequences. Harry. Dead. It was really true. Her son, her little baby boy..was gone. Lily couldn't speak. She couldn't even cry. She was struck into silence, grief overwhelming her. Lily knew she could've stayed like that forever, a hollow shell, if it hadn't had been for what she saw next. James had picked up a piece of extremely sharp glass. He was just about to plunge it into his chest when Lily finally found her voice.

'NOOOOO!'

**A/N: So there's Chapter 3! I found this chapter ridiculously difficult to write, because I didn't know how to write what was going on in James and Lily' heads when they see what's around them, but I tried my best. I added James' little memory to put a bit of sentiment into the chapter so it isn't totally depressing :-) Because this chapter was so difficult to write, I would love to know your thoughts on how I could have improved it/what you liked :-) Thank-you all so, so much for your reviews/favourites/follows, they honestly make me smile! So, please review this chapter! Until next time, **

**MyMessyLittleRaindrops**


	4. Lost in Time

******Disclaimer: All characters and plots from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling**

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******A/N: My reply to Minea's review: I'm glad you liked how I wrote chapter 3 and I'm planning to write some more flashbacks later on in the story :-).**

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**Lost in Time:**

'JAMES NO!', Lily cried, rushing towards her husband and snatching the shard of glass from his hand.

James didn't even seem to register this, or what he had been about to do, he just stared off into space.

'James!', Lily shouted, kneeling down in front of her husband, shaking his shoulders. 'James, James please look at me!'.

Finally, James slowly turned his head towards his wife and his expression became that of shock when he saw who the figure was in front of him.

'Lily', he whispered, his eyes narrowing as he continued to stare at his wife.

'Yes, yes, James, it's me! I'm here', Lily told him, tears now falling down her own cheeks, a mixture of relief that her husband was alive, but also despair that her son was nowhere in sight.

'No...no, it can't be you, it can't be Lily. She's...she's dead...my wife...my wife's gone', James croaked, shaking his head and looking away from Lily.

'No! No James, I'm not gone, I'm right here!', Lily sobbed, desperation growing in her voice.

'You liar!', James suddenly shouted, standing up and backing away from Lily. 'My wife's gone, there's no way she could have survived this. I don't know who, or what you are, but just leave me alone!'.

Lily stayed sat on the ground for a few moments, looking as if she was about to give up too, but then she took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

'James, it's me, I promise you. And I can prove it to you', Lily said, her voice shaking with emotion.

'The day Harry was born, we both made a promise to him, that no matter what happened, we would always, _always, _look after him, no matter who it involved sacrificing' Lily began. James was about to speak, but Lily cut him off and carried on, 'The first few nights Harry was home, I woke up and found you just watching over him sleeping and you told me you were scared to close your eyes in case something happened to him. The only other time I've known you to be scared was when I told you I was pregnant. You weren't scared because we were too young, you were scared that Harry wouldn't love you, that you'd fail him as his father', Lily paused for a second, before adding, 'You didn't fail him James, I promise you. Harry does love you, I know that much. You could just tell from the way his eyes lit up whenever he saw you, or the way he'd stop crying when you walked into a room. He does love you..so much'.

James' defences broke down when Lily said this and tears began to stream down his face once more. At last, James looked up at Lily, saying shakily, 'I believe you', before rushing forwards and pulling his wife into a hug. The two of them just stood there in the rubble of what used to be their house, embracing each other, but both crying, tears for their son and their lost lives.

After what felt like a lifetime, James pulled away. He'd stopped crying but the pain was still blazing in his eyes.

'He's dead, Lily', he croaked. 'Harry's dead. Our baby's gone'.

'No', Lily whispered, looking up at James.

'What?! What do you mean no? Of course he's dead!', James said, the volume of his voice increasing as he spoke. 'Lily, look around you. What 15 month old baby could've survived this?!', he gestured around the pit that was once Harry's nursery, the grief in his voice sounding even more intense as he yelled.

'No, James, think!', Lily said indignantly, her head held high as she spoke. 'If Harry was dead, then where is he? Our bodies were clearly left here, if Harry had died, wouldn't his be too?'.

James just shook his head, refusing to believe what his wife was telling him.

But Lily hadn't finished. 'James! If we can survive this, then why couldn't Harry have too?'.

'We don't even know how we survived this, let alone how our son could have!', James shouted, though his voice didn't quite have an angry tone to it, just an upset one that his wife couldn't seem to comphrehend what was so clear to him.

'James, I have a theory. After you died, Voldemort didn't try to kill me first, he just wanted me to step aside so he could kill Harry. I begged him. I begged him to take me instead, to take my life instead of Harry's. So he killed me. And that means that I died for Harry. There's old magic that says if you die for someone, you give them some kind of protection, the kind of protection only a parent can give to their child. Maybe that's how Harry survived', Lily said, watching her husband closely for his reaction.

A look of hope flashed across James' face, before quickly being replaced by a look of torture again. And in that moment Lily realised that the reason James wasn't listening to her, the reason he was denying everything she was saying, was fear. Fear that he might let himself believe that his son could be alive, only to have this dream come crashing down around him once again. Although Lily didn't want to hurt James and she knew that if he did have to go through realising Harry was dead again, it would plunge him into a never-ending depression, she had a sense. A sense that her son was still alive. She'd sacrificed herself for Harry, and a tiny part of Lily was telling herself that it had worked, that Harry was still alive. And Lily couldn't ignore that, she just couldn't. If there was the slightest chance that her baby was still alive, she was going to find him and she needed her husband's help. So she did the only thing she could think of that would get James to help her.

'Even if he is dead James, we're still not one hundred percent sure. You promised to protect Harry, always. You're not really going to end your life before you're certain that Harry's no longer alive, before you're certain that he still doesn't need that protection?', Lily whispered, looking James in the eye.

It worked. James' expression immediately changed. It wasn't quite hope, but determination. A determination that he would protect his son, even if it meant giving into something that would hurt himself. Because Harry was the most important person here and Lily was right. James couldn't give up before knowing for sure that Harry was dead.

It took a few moments for James to find his voice. As he spoke, he reached out for Lily's hand and grasped it in his own, looking down at his wife.

'Okay, we'll try and find him, see if he is alive', he whispered, his voice growing stronger as he spoke.

'Thank-you', Lily said, fresh tears forming in her eyes.

'But how?', James asked. 'We haven't got any wands. And I somehow don't think my old broomstick will have survived the attack?'.

'Well, I'm sorry again James, but there's only one thing I can think of', Lily said sympathetically. 'We'll have to apparate'.

James immediately displayed a look of horror.

'Oh no', he groaned, covering his face with his hands, bad memories resurfacing in his mind, before taking a deep breath and pulling his head up.

'Come on then', he said, grabbing Lily's hand.

'Wait, we haven't decided where we're going yet', Lily protested.

'I know exactly where to go. There's only one person who'll tell us the exact truth', James said, turning to Lily and uttering one name. 'Sirius'.

So, in a fraction of a second, the red-headed woman and the man with the scruffy, black hair whose faces showed such pain and grief, but also a slight hope, vanished from the scene of destruction with a pop.

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**A/N: Another chapter done! I hope you like it and felt it was written okay :-) I'm really excited to write the next chapter so the wait shouldn't be too long :-) Thank-you so much for all of your reviews for chapter 3! I would love to know what you think of this chapter, so please, please Review! Until the next time,**

**MyMessyLittleRaindrops**


	5. Ghosts of Christmas Past

**Disclaimer: All characters and plots from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling**

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**A/N: This is just a reply to Minea's review: Thank-you so so much for your review and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far! :D I hope you like this chapter :-)**

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**The Ghosts of Christmas Past:**

'And not even Dumbledore knew about this?', Remus asked, a shocked expression on his pale face.

'Nope. Well, if he did then he didn't tell me', Sirius said, looking concerned. He had just informed Remus of how he had been awoken by his godson's screams for his dead parents.

'And he was calling out for James and Lily?', Remus asked.

'Well, it was more of screaming actually', Sirius sighed, looking sad at the memories of his best friend. 'It was strange...I mean, Harry never really shows that he's scared and he tries hard to cover his feelings most of the time, but this made me realise just how terrified he really is. And the pain...Remus, I've never heard so much pain in someone's voice'.

Remus just shook his head, looking down at the table. 'You're right. Harry hides his feelings so much that you often forget he's been through so much in his life already. No wonder he has nightmares', he said quietly.

'Wormtail was there too you know', Sirius spat out, his voice full of bitterness at the thought of his rat of a friend.

'What?!', Remus exclaimed, his head immediatly snapping upwards, a look of pure disgust on his face.

Sirius nodded, his face twisted in a snarl, before saying 'Yep. Apparently he was in this graveyard with Voldemort, helping his precious master, the piece of scum'.

'Ugh', Remus replied, 'But it's not true though, is it? Dumbledore doesn't think Harry's having visions or anything?'.

'No, I don't think so', Sirius sighed, his voice softer now they were off the topic of Wormtail. 'You usually have to have Seer blood in you for your dreams to be taken as visions of the future. Dumbledore thinks they're just nightmares, I mean, what with all that's happened over the past three years, it can be expected, I suppose'.

There was a pause as both men sat there in silence, before Sirius added,

'So anyway, how's your Christmas been so far Moony? Been up to much?'.

Remus shrugged, saying 'Not really. With my transformation this month being on the 26th, I didn't really have much planned. Well, not until you invited me here of course', Remus added with a smile.

'Of course! The more the merrier! This is my first Christmas in 12 years I haven't spent in a cell being loomed over by Dementors therefore I feel I am justified in going over the top in celebrations!', Sirius replied, a ginormous grin on his face.

Remus chuckled nervously, knowing just how over the top his best friend could be. 'Um Padfoot', he began, 'Are you sure you're not going to overwhelm Harry? Do you not remember what happened when you and James went a _little_ bit over the top with the Christmas celebratory drinks in our first year at Hogwarts?'.

'Yeah, well, McGonagall overreacted', Sirius said vehemently.

'Padfoot, you and James got tipsy on Firewhiskey, make all the turkeys come to life then you both vomited on the school Christmas tree after eating too much Christmas pudding _during_ the Minister for Magic's speech', Remus said flatly, eyeing Sirius with accusation.

'It could've been worse!', Sirius argued.

'Padfoot, both McGonagall and Dumbledore said, and I quote this exactly, 'Hogwarts has never seen such a pair of troublemakers. Never has the Minister for Magic been interrupted before and you've both ruined Hogwarts' reputation', Remus told his best friend.

'I don't remember them saying that?', Sirius said, scratching his head in confusion.

'That's because, at that point, you and James had passed out in the Hall and me and Peter had to carry, well, more like drag, you back to the dormitory', Remus informed him, shaking his head at the memory.

'Oh, that would be why', Sirius said, realisation evident in his voice. 'Still, it was a good Christmas, you have to admit Moony. Even if we both did have an awful headache the day after'.

Remus just chucked, 'Well it was certainly eventful to say the least'.

'Yeah', Sirius said. 'I'll have to tell Harry that one', he added, 'I don't reckon he has many memories of James and Lily. I mean, I doubt that aunt and uncle of his told him any stories', he said bitterly.

'I doubt it. Actually, I think the only person apart from Dumbledore and us who's ever told Harry anything about his parents, is...well...Snape', Remus said quietly.

'Smarmy little git', Sirius spat out, his face twisting into a snarl again at the memory of his old nemesis. 'Ha! Do you remember that time we hexed his trousers so that everytime he sat down, they stuck to his chair?', Sirius chuckled, a devilish grin forming on his face.

'Distinctly. I don't think a whole school full of people have ever managed to see one person's pants in a whole day', Remus said sternly, but even he couldn't keep the smile creeping onto his face. 'It was definitely one of our better pranks', Remus added, forgetting his preconceptions about Snape and joining his best friend in reminiscing over their school days.

'Yep. I think it was even worth the four weeks worth of cleaning out potion cauldrons', Sirius said, beaming.

'Ah yes, as I remember you and James became quite familiar with the dungeons, what with all that cleaning you did', Remus said.

'Tell me about it. I think I lost count after the 100th detention and that was just in our first year!', Sirius remembered. After a short silence, he stated, 'No wonder McGonagall didn't like us, we weren't half a bunch of arrogant little berks back then?'.

'Back then?', Remus questioned, narrowing his eyes with a curious look at Sirius. Sirius just glared at him. Remus chuckled, before defending himself by saying, 'But at least it made our school years...interesting to say the least. There was never a dull moment'.

'I don't half wish sometimes that we could go back', Sirius sighed. 'Even just for a couple of hours. Everyday while I was stuck in Azkaban I tried to think of a different prank we'd pulled so I'd have something happy to hold on to', he murmered, sadness and grief appearing in his eyes.

Just as Remus was about to try to comfort his friend, a thumping sound was heard from the hallway. Both men instantly stood up. Assuming it was Harry, Sirius went to open the kitchen door, only to be held back by Remus. Shooting his friend a quizzical look, Remus shook his head, whispering,

'We didn't hear footsteps. Unless Harry's learnt to apparate over the holiday, I think we ought to have our wands ready'.

Sirius just nodded and both men pulled their wands from their pockets, holding them out in front of them. Sirius very quietly walked to the kitchen door and slowly opened it. At first, he thought he had opened the door to his godson, until Sirius looked more closely at the figure in front of him. He was wearing shabby clothes which were covered in dust and bits of rubble, but that was not what caught Sirius' attention.

The man stood in front of him had black hair, which stuck up at the back, and round glasses. Behind the glasses, his eyes showed such grief and pain that Sirius reeled away from him, a look of disbelief on his face. Disbelief, because the figure stood in front of him could not be here, because the figure stood in front of him was killed 13 years ago.

'Prongs?'

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**A/N: Another chapter finished! I am so sorry for the delay in updating, I've been a bit stressed! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I thought it would be nice to write a little bit with Remus and Sirius, because I love their friendship! I hope you like how I wrote their memories of their school days too :-) I would really appreciate feedback on this chapter - either what you liked and/or how I could improve it :-) Thank-you so so much for all of your favorites/follows/reviews! Until the next time, **

**MyMessyLittleRaindrops**


	6. Padfoot and Prongs

**Disclaimer: All characters and plots from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling**

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**A/N: This is just a reply to Minea's review: I'm glad you liked the chapter, I love writing that friendship! Thank-you so so much for your review :-)**

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**Padfoot and Prongs:**

'_Lily?'_ Sirius croaked, his face flashing many different emotions: grief, anger, shock but most worringly: hope.

'Hiya Padfoot', James whispered, smiling through his tears at his best friend, relief flooding through him that he had found Sirius alive.

But before Sirius could even respond, Remus' instincts kicked in and he pushed Sirius aside, holding his wand out in front of him, his face devoid of emotion, despite his shaking hand.

'Get out', he uttered, the effort to keep his voice steady evident.

'Look, Moony, I know what this looks like, but we can explain-'

'Explain?! There's nothing to explain! James and Lily Potter died over 13 years ago in Godric's Hollow!', Remus shouted, his rage masking the grief that was creeping onto his face.

'13 years?', Lily gasped, her knees going weak as she leaned against James for support. 'We've been dead for 13 years...', she whispered to herself, shock on her face.

James' face turned pale white at this latest revelation. 'No...we can't have been...surely...not dead for 13 years...Harry...Harry would be a teenager', he mumbled to himself, the shock causing his words to become jumbled in his speech.

James' incoherent mumblings reminded Sirius of some of the stories he had heard growing up, about people who'd been locked away in Azkaban for so long that they had gone mad and no-one could understand them. These memories, and James mentioning Harry, jolted Sirius back into reality and reminded him of the impossibility of the situation in front of him.

'I don't know why you're acting so surprised', he snarled at the two figures in front of him, drawing out his wand again like Remus had. 'I expect you're master forbids you to speak of it, after all, it was his greatest downfall', his face curling upwards into a menacing grin.

'Master?', James said, his head suddenly snapping up as Sirius' words drew him out of his thoughts. 'Are you talking about Voldemort?'.

'Who else would we be talking about?', Remus hissed. 'Though I have to admit, I didn't think even Voldemort could sink this low. Giving his Death Eaters Polyjuice potion to make them look like the dead', Remus just glared at them in utter disgust.

'Death Eaters?', Lily cried. 'Remus, I can promise you, we are most not Death Eaters! If you'd just give us a chance, we can explain to you, we promise!', a look of pure desperation to be believed, on her face. Remus just turned his face away from the pair.

'I've had enough of this! You think you can come into my own house and trick me into believing you're the Potters. Ha! Pitiful! Let's just kill them Remus', Sirius growled, moving closer towards James and Lily, holding up his wand ready.

'NO!', James shouted, instinctively standing in front of Lily. 'Let me prove who I am. I know you Padfoot. We've been best friends since we were 11. This may seem impossible to you, hell it seems impossible to me, but I promise you I'm telling the truth. I know that I was killed 13 years ago and I might not know how I'm alive right now but I do know you're not going to kill me until you're certain I'm not who I'm saying I am. Because if the situation was reversed, I know I couldn't kill you without being sure', he said softly, looking Sirius in the eye the whole time.

Sirius seemed to consider this for a moment, before his grief and his longing for his best friend to be back alive overcame him. He looked over at Remus for reassurance, who just nodded, unable to speak.

'Do Prongs', he croaked, his voice shaking as he spoke.

James just nodded, before taking a deep breath. In a flash of a second, he had gone from a human to an elegant stag.

Remus gasped, falling back into the chair in the corner of the room for support, his face ashen with shock.

Upon seeing the stag appear in front of him and the realisation which suddenly hit him, Sirius just broke down. His body was wracked with sobs and tears were falling rapidly down his cheeks. James quickly turned back into a human again, rushing over to his best friend and pulling him into a hug, tears streaming down his own face. Sirius just wrapped his arms around James, gripping onto his best friend like a lifeline. Lily watched all of this with tears of joy welling up in her own bright, green eyes, an observer of the Marauders, but unbelievably happy for James and Sirius.

'Prongs..you're...you're alive', Sirius sobbed into James' shoulder, both happiness and disbelief in his voice.

'Yeah, Padfoot, yeah I am', James told him, in that moment forgetting everything else other than that his best friend was alive. That his best friend had survived 13 years of this war, apparently unscathed by Voldemort.

It wasn't until Lily said 'James', that the two finally pulled apart, Sirius wiping away his tears on his jacket sleeve. However as soon as James looked at Lily, the smile on his face quickly disappeared and a look of grief returned. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he turned towards Sirius.

'Padfoot, I need to ask you something important. We saw Godric's Hollow...we saw what Voldemort did to our home...it's been 13 years...Harry...is our son alive?', James whispered, his voice breaking as he said his son's name.

'James, Lily...Harry's alive', Sirius told them, a big grin on his face as he looked from one to the other, waiting for their reactions.

Lily just started sobbing, happiness and relief overwhelming her, saying 'My baby...my baby's alive' over and over again.

James stood there in shock for a minute, before fresh tears formed in his own eyes, tears of complete and utter joy.

'Harry, he's alive. Oh Merlin, my son...my son's alive. He's really alive...Harry...oh, Harry', he whispered, his voice shaking with emotion, as he quickly walked over to Lily, pulling her into a hug as the pair held each other, relief washing over them that their son was safe, that they hadn't died 13 years ago in vain. They just stood there, their arms wrapped around each other, until their tears subsided and they pulled apart, still grasping tightly onto each other's hands.

'Fourteen', Lily uttered, a smile creeping onto her face as she thought of her son, before saying again, her voice stronger this time, 'He's fourteen.'

'Yep', Sirius replied happily, beaming at the pair. 'So he looks a little bit different to when you last saw him'.

'What does he look like?', James asked, curiosity and longing in his voice along with the widest smile on his face, which made him look like a mischievous teenager himself.

'Like you James. The only way people know he isn't you is his eyes. He still has Lily's eyes', Remus told them, rising from the chair he had been sitting in, a look of elation occupying his face too.

James just beamed with pride looking down at his wife, who's smile matched her husband's.

'Where is he? Can we see him?', Lily asked eagerly, looking between Remus and Sirius, desperate for an answer.

'Uh, about that, it's a bit complicated', Sirius mumbled, looking nervously at Remus for help.

'What do you mean complicated?', James asked, sounding confused. 'Why can't we see our son Padfoot?! Is something wrong?', he demanded, desperation growing in his voice.

Just as Sirius was about to answer, they heard footsteps wandering down the staircase towards the kitchen, stopping as they reached the threshold to the room. All four whipped their heads around at the noise as they came face to face with an extremely shocked, and slightly sleepy, Harry.

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**A/N: Another chapter done! Can I just apologise for the slow update, I feel awful, I've just been so stressed this week and I've had writer's block :-( I found writing this chapter so difficult because I didn't want to rush it, but I also didn't want to make their reactions unrealistic, so I'd love to know your thoughts on how I could improve it/what you liked in the chapter :-) Thank-you so so much to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed the story and please review this chapter! :D**

**MyMessyLittleRaindrops**


	7. Highs and Lows

**Disclaimer: All characters and plots from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling**

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**A/N: This is just a reply to Minea's review: Here's Harry's reaction! Thank-you so, so much for your review, it really made me smile and I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I really appreciate your feedback! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter :-).**

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**Highs and Lows:**

Harry's expression quickly turned from confusion and tiredness into shock as he took in the scene in front of him, before he turned around and raced back up the stairs.

There was a moment of silence in the room, with shock and unanswered questions lingering in the air. James and Lily were both stood with their hands gripped together tightly. Both looked like they didn't know whether to jump around or cry with happiness that they had just seen their son for the first time in 13 years.

After a few seconds of no-one talking, Lily whispered,

'That was...Harry?'. She said it like a question, but there was no doubt that the teenage boy who had just appeared in the doorway was her son - he was exactly as Sirius and Remus had described: the spitting image of James, but with her bright, green eyes.

'Yeah...that would be him', Sirius said, his voice shaking with worry for his godson, not even wanting to imagine the thoughts that must be racing through Harry's head right now.

As soon as Sirius had confirmed this, James let go of Lily's hand and headed for the doorway.

'Prongs, where are you going?', Sirius asked, grabbing James' arm and pulling him back.

'To go and see my son', James said indignantly, pulling his arm out of Sirius' grasp 'He's clearly upset Padfoot, you saw what just happened. You can't really just expect us to sit here?!'.

'Yes!', Sirius and Remus said together.

'Look, James', Sirius sighed exasperatedly, 'I know you're itching to see Harry, but you can't, not yet. Your son has just walked downstairs and seen his parents, who he thinks are dead, sat in the kitchen having what looked like a good old natter with his godfather - do you really think you going upstairs to try and persuade him you're not impersonating yourself is going to make things any better? Harry's smart James, I think it's going to take some persuasion'.

James opened his mouth as if to protest, before Lily murmered,

'He's right James. We're strangers to Harry, he's not going to believe us_._ Let Sirius do the talking', with a small smile at Sirius, as she pulled James down into the seat next to her at the kitchen table.

'Thank-you', Sirius said gratefully, heading for the door, before turning around once more and saying, 'I promise as soon as I've got Harry to believe me, and I swear to you I won't leave that room until he does, you're free to go upstairs and see him'. Sirius proceeded out of the kitchen, a slightly apologetic look on his face as he climbed the stairs which his godson had raced up only minutes before, leaving James and Lily to just wait and hope that Harry would believe what Sirius was about to tell him.

* * *

Sirius knocked lightly on Harry's bedroom door, which was closed, but slowly opened it before waiting for Harry to reply. He found his godson pacing across the room, his hands raking through his hair as a mixture of emotions passed over his face: anger, confusion, shock, disgust, disbelief, grief and just like Sirius, hope.

As soon as Sirius entered the room, Harry immediately whipped himself around to face him, backing away from Sirius with his hands held up in front of him, before realising it was only his godfather at the door.

This simple motion of Harry being wary and backing away from who was coming into his room told Sirius that he was not handling the situation well.

'Harry, I can explain-', Sirius began, before Harry cut him off.

'Explain what?! That you and Remus have just been sat down in the kitchen drinking tea with a pair of Death Eaters?!', Harry spat out, his face showing disgust as he glared at Sirius.

Sirius could tell that although Harry didn't believe that it was really James and Lily sat downstairs, at the same time, he didn't want to believe this. Sirius took a deep breath, before saying,

'Harry, I need you to listen to me. You can ask me any questions afterwards, but please, let me just say this. I know what you're thinking - the people downstairs can't be who they look like. And I thought the same as you at first. I thought that they were Death Eaters, after all, what else could it be? James and Lily are gone. But I promise you Harry, they're not. You parents are alive', Sirius told Harry, looking his godson in the eye the whole time he spoke.

Harry didn't look away from Sirius until he had finished talking.

'You're lying', he whispered. 'My mum and dad are dead', he said, his voice stronger this time, as he looked up at Sirius, a look in his eye which showed he did not, or could not, believe what his godfather was telling him.

'Harry, I swear to you', Sirius pleaded, desperation in his voice for Harry to believe what he was saying, 'James and Lily Potter are alive! Do you really think I'd be telling you this if they weren't? I like making jokes Harry, but not like this'.

'YOU'RE LYING', Harry yelled, causing Sirius to back away from him slightly. 'They're dead! Voldemort killed them 13 years ago! _How_ can they be here, huh?', his voice shaking with anger and impatience that Sirius could not see the impossibility of the situation.

'I don't know how they're alive Harry, but I promise you they are', Sirius said, slowly walking towards Harry again. 'James has proved it to me. He turned into Prongs. Harry, an animagus transformation can't be duplicated and I've seen your father as a stag enough to know that it is definitely him downstairs, no-one else'.

A flicker of hope crossed Harry's face, before it was replaced by anger once again, though less intense than before. Harry shook his head in disbelief, but Sirius could tell that he was getting through to his godson, that Harry was finally beginning to believe him.

'He must've fooled you, somehow', Harry muttered, avoiding looking at Sirius and sitting down on the corner of the bed. 'A-a spell or something. Something to make you believe it was him and not someone else', he stammered, the emotions running through him making his voice break slightly as he spoke.

'Harry, it wasn't a spell, or a potion, I promise you', Sirius said softly, kneeling in front of his godson. 'Look at me', he whispered, turning Harry's face so Sirius could look him in the eye as he spoke to him. 'You know I wouldn't lie to you, especially not about this. Those people downstairs are your parents. They are here and they are alive and I'll tell you what, they can't wait to meet you', he said gently, a small smile creeping onto his face as he finished speaking.

At first, Harry sat there with a stubborn look on his face, as if determined not to be sucked in by what must clearly be a trick, but as he saw the look of pure honesty and joy in Sirius' eyes and listened to Sirius speak about how much his parents wanted to meet him, his face crumpled as the tears formed in his eyes, finally believing what Sirius was telling him. Harry didn't even try to hide the face that he was crying because he was so happy, so happy that he finally had a family, so happy that his dream since he was just a baby, had finally come true.

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Lily's hand shook as she accepted the cup of tea Remus was offering to her. James placed his hand over hers to steady her hand, giving his wife a reassuring smile.

'Sirius will get through to him, I know he will', James told Lily softly. Lily just nodded, but James could see that she wasn't convinced so he added,

'C'mon, if anyone's good at persuasion, it's Sirius', which made Lily smile slightly.

Just as Remus sat down at the bench with his own cup of tea, they heard a muffled shout from upstairs, which caused all three of them to jump.

'I can't stand this', Lily muttered, 'Our son's upstairs, probably upset and confused, and we just have to sit here', rocking back and forth with worry.

'Hey, I know', James told her, putting his arm around Lily for comfort, 'But Sirius is right. We have to let him get through to Harry first, after all, he does think we died thirteen years ago'.

Lily just sniffled. 'But why is it taking so long?', she asked, her voice slightly muffled as she was speaking into James' jacket.

'He clearly has your stubborness Lil', James said, winking at Remus, which caused Remus to just smirk at him knowingly.

'Hey!', Lily protested, lightly hitting James on the arm, though she didn't sound too insulted because she was smiling at the idea her son might actually have some of her own traits, which made him seem even more real to her.

After several more minutes of waiting, which to James and Lily felt like hours, they finally heard footsteps proceeding down the staircase. All three stood up, Lily and James holding each other's hands lightly, eagerly looking towards the sound of the footsteps.

The door to the kitchen creaked open, revealing a beaming Sirius slouched in the threshold.

'How did it go? Did Harry believe you?', James asked desperately.

Instead of answering the question, Sirius just said,

'James, Lily, would you like to meet your son?'

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**A/N: Chapter 7 complete! I really, really enjoyed writing this chapter and I can tell I'm going to really enjoy writing the next one too, so I shall update soon! I felt the need for a quick update this time because of the long wait with the last chapter :-) I'd love to know what you liked about this chapter/what you think I could have improved on :-) Thank-you to everyone who was favourited/followed/reviewed the story, it means so much to me! I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter, so please review! Until the next time, **

**MyMessyLittleRaindrops**


	8. Family

**Disclaimer: All characters and plots from the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling**

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**A/N: This is just a reply to Minea's review: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and it made you laugh, I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much! Thank-you so much for your reviews, they always make me smile! :-)**

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**Family:**

Harry was pacing again. He cast his mind back to the conversation he'd had with his godfather just minutes before:

_'Do you want to meet them?', Sirius said quietly, waiting for Harry to lift his head so Sirius could see his reaction._

_Harry, whose eyes were red-rimmed from his tears, but his face showing so much joy, just nodded, unable to speak._

_'I'll send them up', Sirius said, a small smile on his face as he stood up and headed for the door of his godson's room._

_'Wait', Harry called, his voice slightly croaky from crying. Sirius immediately stopped in his tracks and turned back around to face Harry, a confused expression on his face._

_'Sirius, what if...', questions were racing through Harry's mind, some good, some bad, but the only thing Harry was able to utter out of his mouth was, 'What if they don't love me anymore?'._

_Sirius' expression immediately became one of sympathy and understanding as he replied, _

_'Harry, if you're going to believe one thing I've told you tonight, let it be this: I have never known anybody love a person as much as your parents love you. And yes, I'm speaking in the present tense. Harry, you could be a toddler or an old man and they'd still love you, I promise you that', Sirius said softly._

"But I'm not a toddler any more", Harry thought, stopping his pacing and sitting down on his bed, his face in his hands. "When they died, they had a baby. Now I'm fourteen, it's a bit of a reality jump-"

But Harry had no more time to dwell on this because he was pulled out of his thoughts by a soft knocking on his door.

His head snapped up at the sound and his heart began to race. This was it. The moment he had been waiting for since he was so very little. The two people he had dreamed about coming to rescue him were just behind the door.

After a few moments of panicking, Harry realised they were probably waiting for him to let them in, or hoping he hadn't passed out from shock.

'C-Come in', Harry called, his voice sounding croaky with nerves as he stood up.

The door slowly opened, revealing Lily and James standing on the threshold, their expressions similar to their sons': slightly nervous but also complete and utter joy and longing.

They walked a few steps into the room, slowly so as to not startle or rush their son. Harry just stood there, examining the two people stood in front of him, as if he was finally verifying that what he was seeing in front of him was true. And it was this that made Harry finally believe what Sirius had being trying to convince him. Growing up, Harry had never had anyone who had really loved him or cared about him. So, it was a shock coming to Hogwarts and having to adjust to people actually taking a genuine interest in him, people who were worried when he was in trouble, or who were made happy just by Harry being happy. This is what Harry had thought had felt like having a family at last. But now he realised that that came no-where near to how he was feeling right now.

Looking at the two people who were stood in front of him, Harry finally understood what it was to matter to someone, what it was like to be a part of a family. They were looking at him with such love and happiness in their eyes that it wasn't the fact that he really does look like a younger version of his father, or that really does have his mother's eyes, but that these people could be nobody but his parents. When Harry had been going over in his head how to greet them, he'd planned to not cry and to keep his distance from them, purely for his own sake if they weren't who they claimed to be, but when Harry finally believed that they were his parents, this plan went completely out of the window.

Tears were streaming down Harry's face as he ran forwards and was pulled into a hug by James and Lily. The three Potters just stood there, Harry resting his head on his parents' shoulders, James and Lily with their arms tightly wrapped around Harry, like they were never going to let him go again. Lily had tears streaming down her face as she gently stroked her sons hair and James had welled up with happiness when Harry had ran forward towards them and was now whispering comforting words to his son as he held him.

'Harry, we're so sorry', Lily sniffled through her tears, 'We're so sorry we weren't here for you when you were growing up, but we're here now baby, we promise. We love you so, so much sweetheart'.

Harry didn't reply, but just held on tighter to his parents, the happiness that was overcoming him leaving him speechless. The three stood there for several minutes, just holding each other, wrapped in their own bubble of joy. Eventually Harry pulled himself away from the hug, so he could get a real look at his parents for the first time in thirteen years. Wiping away his tears, he quietly said,

'Hi', to which James and Lily laughed softly, beaming down at their son.

'Hello son', James said, putting his arm around Harry as he spoke, whilst Lily gripped her son's hand in her own.

No-one spoke for a few moments, there was just happiness that they were all together again, after thirteen years of being apart. Harry broke the silence, whispering,

'I-I can't believe you're really here. You're real...I thought Sirius was lying..', his eyes never leaving his parents.

'We're real, we promise sweetheart', Lily smiled, squeezing Harry's hand for reassurance.

'And we're not going anywhere, we can promise you that too', James said in such a way that Harry couldn't not believe him, so he just nodded, the smile never leaving his face.

'We've got so much we want to talk to you about Harry..there's so much to catch up on...', Lily said softly, brushing her son's hair back as she spoke. 'But you look so tired baby...how about we all try and get some sleep?', as she caressed Harry's face gently.

Harry was going to protest, to say that he just wanted to stay up talking, that he could talk to them forever, before it hit him just how exhausted he really was. So, he just nodded, saying,

'Okay. But you promise you'll still be here when I wake up?', looking from his mother to his father as he spoke, his voice sounding anxious, as if he might wake up and realise this was all a dream.

'How about we don't leave you, even whilst you're asleep?', James suggested, to which Harry looked relieved.

So, that how was the three Potters slept last night: Harry with his head on his father's shoulder and with James' arm wrapped around him and with his mother stroking his hair as he fell into the depths of unconsciousness, sleeping peacefully without any nightmares about rats or dark lords, for the first time in thirteen years.

* * *

**A/N: First of all, I know this is a shorter chapter, but I just wanted to update something and I've got plans for the next one to be quite long :-) Secondly, this is not the end of the story, in case anyone thought so :-) I was really unsure whether I've written this chapter too soppy or not, so I'd love to hear what you liked/what you think I could improve on :-) Thank-you so much to everyone who's favourited/followed the story and all the lovely reviewers! :D I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter, so please review!**

**MyMessyLittleRaindrops**


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